Tony Smith convinced he has support of Hull FC hierarchy despite latest drubbing

The Black and Whites crashed out of the Challenge Cup on Saturday after surrendering to a 50-6 defeat at Huddersfield Giants.

Smith's team have conceded 104 points in two games to continue a wretched start to the new campaign.

Hull, who finished 10th in Super League in Smith's first season, travel to neighbours Hull KR this week with a record of five defeats in six matches amid a selection crisis.

Smith has stressed that the club must play the long game and remain patient, just as Huddersfield did in the early 2000s when he oversaw a rebuild at the John Smith's Stadium.

Asked if he felt he would be afforded the time to turn Hull around, Smith replied: "Yes, I do. Adam (Pearson, owner), Clarky (James Clark, CEO) and I understand the processes that we need to go through.

"We'd like to slip past these big scores but we understand it's a project, like Huddersfield was all those years ago. That one didn't happen overnight.

"It's how long is a piece of string. I've never seen one be a quick fix. This is no quick fix.

"Unfortunately, it's part of the pain we are going through right now. It was always going to happen but it's unpleasant while it's happening."

Hull head into the Good Friday derby as huge underdogs against a side fresh from a 40-0 rout of Salford Red Devils in the cup.

Smith is hoping an away date with fierce rivals KR sparks his team back to life.

"We need to dust ourselves off and learn quickly," said Smith, whose side won at Craven Park last year.

"They're on the other side of a big win and they're playing well and confidently. We're at the other end of the realm at the moment so it's a good challenge for us.

"That's sometimes where you see spirit, determination and people dig in. Sometimes being written off can be a good thing. I know there will be a lot of people writing us off this week and probably rightfully so after those two performances.

"We'll see what we can do about it but when you get it right and you turn things around, it's quite sweet. We've got a bit of work to do before we get to that stage."